Updates as huge fire breaks out in Leicester (2024)

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Road closures remain - Inrix

Bath Lane in both directions closed due to building fire between Blackfriars Street and A47 St Augustine Road.

All Saints Road, Jarvis Street, Great Central Street and Welles Street are also closed. Ongoing since the early hours of this morning.

No further news at this stage

There have been no updates and we have not yet heard from the fire service in response to our request for a statement.

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Fire service receive 60 calls in 10 minutes

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service thanked members of the public and local businesses for supporting its crews after a fire at the Maps Cash and Carry. It said that in 10 minutes, its fire control team received 60 calls.

Intensity of the fire show in new pictures

Pictures supplied to LeicestershireLive from around 11am today show how the fire has scorched vents on the side of the building. At its peak approximately 40 firefighters were believed to have been tackling the blaze with 10 police officers also at the scene. Fire investigation has been underway this afternoon, however at this stage the cause of the blaze has not been confirmed by the emergency services.

Road closures continue

A handful of roads are still closed after a fire at a cash and carry in Leicester. Traffic tracker INRIX is reporting that five roads are still closed following this morning's incident. They are Bath Lane, All Saints Road, Great Central Street, Jarvis Street and Welles Street.

'Flames 50ft in the air'

Pictures sent into LeicestershireLive by a local resident show the extent of the fire earlier this morning. He said flames extended "50ft in the air".

Fire crews continue to work at the scene this afternoon. The Environment Agency is also in attendance, it is assessing the risk of pollution to nearby watercourses.

Environment Agency investigating risk of pollution to water courses

The Environment Agency has said its staff are supporting emergency services at the scene of the fire. It said it is taking samples and investigating whether there is any risk of pollution to nearby watercourses.

Fire investigation underway

A spokesperson for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed that fire investigation into the cause of the blaze at Maps Cash and Carry is underway. They said that "urban search and rescue" equipment is being used to "shore up" the structure of the building. They confirmed that crews are still at the scene this afternoon.

The fire at it's peak earlier today

The blaze is shown at its peak in a video provided by Leicester Media Online. Approximately 40 firefighters were said to be tackling the incident at its most intense, with six fire appliances from stations across the city at the scene.

Which roads are still closed in the city?

A number of roads are still closed in the city as work continues at Maps Cash and Carry following a fire earlier this morning. Below is a list of roads still closed:

Bath Lane between Blackfriars Street and St Augustine Road

All Saints Road between Jarvis Street and Great Central Street

Great Central Street between A594 Vaughan Way and All Saints Open

Jarvis Street between Alexander Street and All Saints Road

Welles Street between A594 Vaughan Way and Bath Lane

Fire Service still dealing with the blaze

A spokesperson for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that its crews are still at the scene of Maps Cash and Carry following a large blaze there earlier this morning. At this stage, the cause of the fire has not been confirmed. Fire investigation teams will begin their inquiries following the conclusion of the incident.

Smoke blown over towards the West End of Leicester

Speaking to LeicestershireLive earlier this morning, Darren Weston, station manager at Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service explained in which direction smoke was blowing off the building. He said:

We also had smoke from the fire, which we believe has caused a smoke alarm in the adjacent high rise building. Large amounts of smoke were coming off it, blowing over towards the south side of the city, over towards the West End area.

Smoke visible blowing across the city

At around 9am this morning, smoke was still being blown from the aftermath of the fire in Maps Cash and Carry. The fire service said its response to the incident has now been scaled back to three fire appliances and two aerial ladder platforms.

40 firefighters and 10 police officers attend fire at its peak

The fire service has said that approximately 40 firefighters tackled the blaze at Maps Cash and Carry at its peak. Darren Weston said:

" At it's peak we had six appliances, one aerial ladder appliance, a command vehicle and a welfare unit. There would have been approximately 40 firefighters at its peak and approximately 10 police officers. East Midlands Ambulance Serivce attended as well. No persons were involved in the fire at all. EMAS remained in attendance in case of firefighter injuries and they have now left the scene."

Station manager confirms unit involved

Darren Weston, station manager at Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed that Maps Cash and Carry was the unit involved in this morning's fire he said.

We've had a significant industrial fire on Great Central Street. It was Maps Cash and Carry and it was fully involved. There was nobody working in the area at the time so there was no evacuation necessary.

Fire led to evacuation of neighbouring residential block

A block of flats next to the river on All Saints Road was evacuated after an alarm went off due to smoke being detected. However, after fire crews attended that building, the firefighters concluded it was safe for the residents to return to the building, the fire service said.

Latest from the scene

Our senior reporter Tom Mack has sent us this latest picture from the scene in All Saints Road, Leicester. He said there were still three pumps and an aerial ladder platform working the scene with smoke lingering in the air.

Welcome to our coverage

Thanks for tuning in this morning. A large industrial fire broke out in All Saints Road in Leicester city centre in the earlier hours of this morning. A number of roads in the city are closed as a result, Leicestershire Police told drivers to avoid Bath Lane, Jarvis Street, Great Central Street and Welles Street. Fire crews from across the city were called out and some teams are still dealing with incident.